Transport in Angola - Highways

Highways

• total: 52,429 km

country comparison to the world: 79

• paved: 5,349 km
• unpaved: 46,080 km (2001)

Travel on highways outside of towns and cities in Angola (and in some cases within) is often not best advised for those without four-by-four vehicles. Whilst a reasonable road infrastructure has existed within Angola, time and the war have taken their toll on the road surfaces, leaving many severely potholed, littered with broken asphalt. In many areas drivers have established alternate tracks to avoid the worst parts of the surface, although careful attention must be paid to the presence or absence of landmine warning markers by the side of the road.

The Angolan government has contracted the restoration of many of the country's roads, though. Many companies are coming into the country from China and surrounding nations to help improve road surfaces. The road between Lubango and Namibe, for example, was completed recently with funding from the European Union, and is comparable to many European main routes. Progress to complete the road infrastructure is likely to take some decades, but substantial efforts are already being made in the right directions.